Iran rolls back commitments to nuclear deal

Iran’s government said Sunday that it will further roll back its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal that the United States withdrew from in 2018.

Iranian state television reported the move Sunday evening, The New York Times noted, confirming Tehran will no longer impose limits on enrichment of uranium.

A government spokesman said the nation will now base its enrichment levels on its own technical needs rather than the agreement’s limits, Reuters reported. The spokesman also said that Iran could reverse course if the U.S. curtails the sanctions it has imposed on Iran, the news service added.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted Sunday that the move was “within” the terms of the agreement and confirmed that it would be reversed if other parties to the agreement fulfilled their own obligations.

The announcement capped off several days of rapidly escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran after Iranian military commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq.

“Iran’s full cooperation w/IAEA [the International Atomic Energy Agency] will continue,” he added.

As 5th & final REMEDIAL step under paragraph 36 of JCPOA, there will no longer be any restriction on number of centrifuges

This step is within JCPOA & all 5 steps are reversible upon EFFECTIVE implementation of reciprocal obligations

Iran’s full cooperation w/IAEA will continue

— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) January 5, 2020

After Iranian leaders vowed retaliation, President Trump said any such responses would be met with targeted strikes against 52 undisclosed Iranian sites, including those of cultural significance.

Earlier Sunday, Iraq’s parliament voted to expel U.S. forces from the country in the wake of Soleimani’s killing.

“The Iraqi government must work to end the presence of any foreign troops on Iraqi soil and prohibit them from using its land, airspace or water for any reason,” the nonbinding resolution reads.